Switzerland’s largest metropolis is dwelling to a vibrant specialty-coffee scene. Listed here are 4 can’t-miss cafés making waves in Zurich.
BY TANYA NANETTI
SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT
Featured picture by Wassim Chouak
Zurich, Switzerland’s most populous metropolis, is magic to discover. Mendacity on the lake of the identical title, the town appears virtually straight out of a legend, with its picturesque previous city, the thousand-year-old cathedral with its lovely twin towers, and the quite a few castles and palaces.
However Zurich can be a contemporary metropolis, with a vibrant nightlife, a rare meals and wine scene, and an exquisite specialty-coffee scene. Specialty has unfold via the town like wildfire in only a decade, with many high-quality cafés and roasters opening everywhere in the metropolis.
MAME Espresso
If there may be one Swiss specialty-coffee firm that wants no introduction, it’s MAME Espresso. Created in 2016 by Emi Fukahori and Mathieu Theis, MAME—which suggests “beans“ in Japanese—is the bodily illustration of the founding duo’s love for espresso. For the previous decade espresso has merely been on the middle of their lives. Born in Japan and France respectively, Emi and Mathieu fell in love with espresso (and one another) in Switzerland. That is the place they received their first espresso competitions, the place Emi ready her successful routine for the 2018 World Brewers Cup, and the place they practice and seek the advice of espresso fans and professionals from everywhere in the world. That is the place they determined to determine their lovely MAME, roasting and serving among the most wonderful microbrews from world wide.
MAME Espresso at the moment has three cafés, a roastery/coaching middle in Zurich, and two extra cafés in Geneva. For those who should select only one place to go to, don’t miss the flagship café on Josefstrasse. You’ll be welcomed with a easy however efficient assertion: “the perfect espresso is the espresso you want.“
Sit down in one of many cozy corners of the café and select the espresso that most accurately fits your temper. Or ask for a suggestion from Emi (who, when she shouldn’t be touring, humbly continues to brew espresso behind the counter) or one of many different fantastic baristas. Relaxation assured that no matter you select, you received’t remorse it.
Miró Manufactura de Café
Brothers Daniel and David Sanchez based the Miró Manufactura de Café with a 5 kg Probat roasting machine in a small storage within the suburbs. Loads has occurred within the 11 years since. On the time, the world of specialty espresso was virtually unknown in Switzerland. But Daniel and David, assured in Miró’s potential, managed to steadily develop the corporate into the excellent espresso firm it’s at present.
With its flagship café and roastery on Brauerstrasse, its retailer on HB Central Bahnhofstrasse, the assorted areas the place you will discover the Miró espresso truck, and the coffees brewed above the clouds because of its partnership with SWISS (which has chosen Miró as its unique espresso provider for European flights), it actually is feasible to sip beans roasted by Miró anyplace in and above Zurich.
Head to Miró’s headquarters on Brauerstrasse, pull up a chair on the attractive terrace. Put together to be delighted not solely by the superb coffees, but additionally by the unique “desayuno” served right here each weekend. Their collection of artistic, plant-based, Spanish-influenced brunch creations are good for beginning a wonderful day of exploring the town.
Auer & Co.
Auer & Co. is without doubt one of the native pioneers of the specialty-coffee scene. This lovely café is housed in an previous manufacturing facility within the middle of the town, in a collaborative area run by Impression Hub Zurich (a worldwide neighborhood that connects entrepreneurs, NGOs, public establishments, and extra). Right here, Auer & Co. caters to individuals within the co-working area, and can be open to the general public.
Come right here to complete that little bit of labor you simply can’t go away behind, and to drink scrumptious beans roasted by Dario Stoop. Previously head of espresso at Auer & Co, Dario now owns his personal microroastery, Espresso Architects. He provides many corporations within the metropolis, together with Auer & Co. and its sister plant, Kraftwerk.
Omnia/Ombak Espresso
Strolling round Zurich, one would suppose that specialty espresso right here can be a household enterprise, given the numerous companies arrange by companions or family members. Omnia/Ombak Espresso isn’t any exception. This pleasant espresso store and roastery was based by Martin Ponti and his spouse, Alista, with the assistance of their lovable youngsters, Adam and Aaliyah.
Martin, an AST coach and Q Grader, spent 20 years of his life in Indonesia. There he fell in love with espresso and with Alista, and there the kids have been born. The household determined to return to his native Switzerland to determine Omnia/Ombak Espresso, their “espresso paradise,” resplendent in a white wood look that seamlessly blends Indonesian roots with Swiss precision.
I’ve been in love with Indonesian espresso ever since visiting Bali, so I couldn’t resist visiting Omnia/Ombak Espresso, the place I had an opportunity to satisfy Martin and chat a bit about why they determined to open a café promoting solely Indonesian espresso in Switzerland.
“We needed to convey part of our homeland to Zurich, and we’re very proud that the standard of specialty Indonesian espresso is nice sufficient to try this,” Martin says. “It differentiates us and makes us genuine on the identical time.”
Why does he suppose coffees from Indonesia are so particular? “They’re particular in some ways. They’re historically very sincere coffees, with good physique and varied taste notes that work very effectively with milk. However lately they’ve turn out to be clear and attention-grabbing sufficient that they can be served as single origins, highlighting what’s particular about every particular person espresso.”
And sipping a superbly executed filter espresso from the Kintamani mountains in Bali, I couldn’t agree extra.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the espresso machine (or visiting some hidden nook of the world), she’s busy writing for Espresso Rebel, a web site about specialty espresso that she’s creating alongside together with her boyfriend.
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